tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49884044912418254112024-03-01T22:48:15.687-08:00Monarch MadnessThe daily happenings in a second grade classroomMrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-42997419873154749822011-08-21T13:31:00.000-07:002011-08-21T15:13:58.707-07:00Daily 5 signsI made these signs for my classroom but thought I would upload them for anyone else that wants to use them. I also have CAFE strategy cards but I'm having trouble getting them to upload correctly into Google images. I'll post those as soon as I figure it out. Just click on the imagine and it will take you to the document. Enjoy!<br />
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</div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-26484983590483743512011-08-20T19:31:00.000-07:002011-08-20T19:31:26.347-07:00I Love......<div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="0" src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEzMTM4OTIyNjc5MjcmcHQ9MTMxMzg5MjI3NDY2MyZwPTE4MzkwMSZkPWNoZXJyeWJhbS5jb2*mZz*xJm89ZTk4NDAw/Y2ZkYzI1NGY4NmIzM2FkMmZjNGQ1NmJmNDA=.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><a href="http://www.cherrybam.com/" target="_blank" title="Flashing Graphics"><br />
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There are many things that I love. Right now I'm very excited to say that I LOVE the blog......<br />
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<center><a href="http://meanmygang.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y302/MickeyD13/gang2.png" /></a></center><br />
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This is an incredible resource for teachers. You'll have to check it out! I have been offered the amazing opportunity by the creators of this blog to be a guest author! I am extremely excited to begin blogging with the gang to share all of the wonderful adventures and ideas that come my way in second grade! Come on over and check out all of the amazingnness that this blog has to offer!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-42186002746315417542011-08-20T14:43:00.000-07:002011-08-20T14:43:22.307-07:00Serving Up Success in Second Grade!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I came across this idea last year from somewhere on the web. Of course this was before my Pinterest addiction and now I can't find it anywhere! The kiddos and I sat down and brainstormed traits that we would need to possess in order to have a successful year. We talked about kindness, trustworthiness, caring, honesty, perseverance, etc. I showed them a few examples of recipes so they could get an idea of what a recipe entails; how an ingredients list looks, types of measurements, and recipe directions. Next, they wrote their own recipe for success. When they were through, I dressed each kiddo up to look like a chef and snapped a picture. I displayed the pictures and recipes together and, voila! I now have a great back to school bulletin board!</div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-76494658992630561912011-08-18T21:30:00.000-07:002011-08-18T21:38:14.372-07:00Just What I Needed!!Sometimes life has a way of giving you what you need right when you need it. I was looking on the web tonight for math games and activities that my students could do during math rotations. After 5 minutes on Pinterest (that's a record for me!) I came across Mrs. Clapp's Blog <a href="http://serenadetosecondgrade.blogspot.com/2011/08/math-games-galore.html">Serenade to Second grade</a><br />
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</div><div align="left">Yay!!! I immediately downloaded all of her math games and will put them together this weekend. I mean how totally cute are these game labels, and the organization; I love the simplicity! Nothing too bulky to store and lots of fun options for the kiddos! Thank you Mrs. Clapp for saving me hours of work!</div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-12551599169073273132011-08-15T21:07:00.000-07:002011-08-15T21:07:13.229-07:00And the Winner Is........Ms. Rachel from <a href="http://msrachelsroom.blogspot.com/">Ms. Rachel's Room</a>! <span style="color: orange;">Congratulations Rachel</span> and thank you to everyone who entered my Back to School Giveaway! Here is a video of my random drawing.....if only I could be as high tech as some of you with the automatic number generator! <br />
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Please keep visiting my blog! I love sharing ideas and hearing from you all. My blog wasn't allowing me to comment prior to today, but I figured it out, so comment away and I'll get back to ya! Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-13396725448257328992011-08-11T21:03:00.000-07:002011-08-11T21:03:51.547-07:00Simple and Pretty Darn Cute!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_bNePqU1DTnJNdpQLRX3Uq0PrXx_md1oWNkWIDzgjHcz5DRokJUIfZ5qnTBGWq-WUU8ZQ_YPLL8va-3sAX542LC1sOqph0xaUAUNjNPUZfYjJwa0SzcQy5jsMoVcX7pYYJEVFjdkPjkh/s1600/DSC00102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_bNePqU1DTnJNdpQLRX3Uq0PrXx_md1oWNkWIDzgjHcz5DRokJUIfZ5qnTBGWq-WUU8ZQ_YPLL8va-3sAX542LC1sOqph0xaUAUNjNPUZfYjJwa0SzcQy5jsMoVcX7pYYJEVFjdkPjkh/s320/DSC00102.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I have received many questions about the purpose of these balloons other than the obvious- they make the classroom look really cute! Our school has a Meet the Teacher night before school starts. This is an informal hour of time that parents bring their students to school to find their spot, meet the teacher, pick up materials, and get familiar with the room before school officially begins. If you look closely at the balloons, you will see that each one has a student's name written on it. I use them so that the students can quickly locate their seat when they come in the room. They also serve as little welcome gifts that the students take with them when they leave for the night. I order the balloons from Fry's (our Kroger grocery store) the morning of Meet the Teacher Night and then pick them up a few hours before students arrive. Simple, fun, and a great way to welcome kids to second grade!!<br />
Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-80466380145720673072011-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:002011-08-09T20:45:47.081-07:00"I need to go to the bathroom!"How many times have you heard that phrase right in the middle of a lesson? Or worse yet, you're rockin' a lesson, the kids are into it, participation is high and they're on a roll. You call on an eager hand raiser thinking they have a great comment to add to the discussion and instead, you get the dreaded question that brings everything to a halt. "Can I go to the bathroom?" Ugh.<br />
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In my early years of teaching I didn't have a system for letting kids use the bathroom. I just assumed that they would be honest and go when they needed to. Instead, I had kids trying to go to meet up with friends, to get out of working, and every other imaginable reason. Now, I spend a significant amount of time training my kids to go only during work times, recess, or lunch. Plus, I use the magical bathroom tokens.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeZ93U00WNr6d3eKBA3S6w3MGhdaX-hqrM1YKjBy990045m2AszgNFGu1BHHPXnBI5EEkGyMuSA3_Pbl5Zal806yR2vkqt0iDcZPXDiMqV7OmZLqCjdzvPrvturvVbP-eg4ObWaXgQq1g/s1600/DSC00203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeZ93U00WNr6d3eKBA3S6w3MGhdaX-hqrM1YKjBy990045m2AszgNFGu1BHHPXnBI5EEkGyMuSA3_Pbl5Zal806yR2vkqt0iDcZPXDiMqV7OmZLqCjdzvPrvturvVbP-eg4ObWaXgQq1g/s320/DSC00203.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>These are poker chips that I spray painted to match the colors of my room. If you aren't obsessed with having everything matchy-matchy like me, you can use unpainted chips. Each child gets 4 tokens a week. They may use these tokens during working times to use the bathroom. The catch is that they only get 4 so they have to use them wisely. Kids who have 3 or 4 left on Friday get 2 punches on their punch card. If they have 1 or 2 left, they get one punch. I encourage my kids to use the bathroom for "free" during recess and lunch so that they don't have to use their tokens. Every token has the child's number on it so that I can return them on Monday. It has been the BEST bathroom system and has eliminated unnecessary trips to the BR which means more time for learning!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-83927918257782039222011-08-08T21:23:00.000-07:002011-08-09T06:19:32.819-07:00Back to School Giveaway!Today was my first day BTS and I'm still ALIVE!!! Actually, it was a very successful and rewarding day. At the beginning of every year I'm always thankful for the Whole Brain Teaching management approach. If you're not familiar, you will have to check it out <a href="http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/">here</a> and I will post more about it another day!<br />
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On to the point of THIS blog......<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">In honor of my first day back, I will be hosting my very first blog GIVEAWAY!!! </span><span style="color: black;">That's right! You can win a <span style="color: red;">$20 gift card</span> to Target!!!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBy2-mm4AmsfH8F7IiVNMLtfO-RobENn6JAyEGAzGLWcJrGS0pYMNWSp4kXLGv1XBmEJ6vQj7iW97EylLDZKkuthRBqMtHIWK8jUVdSujWwUM7YznfP5A8r2xiDHeCdu0YaNTkCk6VnZQ/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBy2-mm4AmsfH8F7IiVNMLtfO-RobENn6JAyEGAzGLWcJrGS0pYMNWSp4kXLGv1XBmEJ6vQj7iW97EylLDZKkuthRBqMtHIWK8jUVdSujWwUM7YznfP5A8r2xiDHeCdu0YaNTkCk6VnZQ/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: black;">You know you've been eyeing items in the dollar section. Just think of how many you can buy with 20 big ones! (okay, I know, that's an obvious one!) Here's how to enter........</span><br />
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<ul><li><span style="color: purple;">Become a new follower of my blog (if you became a follower today before this post, it still counts! Just make sure you leave a comment!)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">Grab my button and put it on your blog</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">Add me to your blogroll</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">Blog about this giveaway!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">Pin something of mine from this blog onto your Pinterest boards</span></li>
</ul><span style="color: black;">Leave one comment for each entry to let me know how you entered and I will announce the big winner on August 15th. Good Luck!!!!!</span>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-58283265364255218542011-08-07T21:26:00.000-07:002011-08-07T21:26:39.396-07:00It's Finished!!!We had Meet the Teacher night Friday and it was a huge success! I always love having time before the first day of school to meet my new kiddos and parents. Everyone was thrilled with the classroom and very eager to start school on Monday. I managed to snap some pictures of my room before the first students walked in. I love how the room came together!<br />
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This is the view of the tables with the balloons, notebooks, and other items the kids pick up at meet the teacher night. The balloons have the student's names written on them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ISwGRzlmG9Umd2LXeN2VFW1MUepsMY2RC7z3XHz3q8tIbA_SOCg3gj-4tWLXR8MhJo9GH3otbC4dj3X64s709qpH5ms5xrqME3Dy5r0IqAwHZtjfaY9VM2hH0Dgmd8WQ-KdBgJrYYmfd/s1600/DSC00104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ISwGRzlmG9Umd2LXeN2VFW1MUepsMY2RC7z3XHz3q8tIbA_SOCg3gj-4tWLXR8MhJo9GH3otbC4dj3X64s709qpH5ms5xrqME3Dy5r0IqAwHZtjfaY9VM2hH0Dgmd8WQ-KdBgJrYYmfd/s320/DSC00104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>These are pictures of my classroom library. I have a very large library! The bulletin board will be used for our monthly author study.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDPsbxRirbc3sRrFdGejtjLCPPH77yrCSoZ5S0ngvdMqOn01wsNgQ_7UBmIp5maKgZFTLO4c9NdlsCLJbELBlAV2JWZTw6kXQAbv3wdX8-Uoy781ecoPdf4pEIGyPMKtX5stX0mvr81KH/s1600/DSC00111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDPsbxRirbc3sRrFdGejtjLCPPH77yrCSoZ5S0ngvdMqOn01wsNgQ_7UBmIp5maKgZFTLO4c9NdlsCLJbELBlAV2JWZTw6kXQAbv3wdX8-Uoy781ecoPdf4pEIGyPMKtX5stX0mvr81KH/s320/DSC00111.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMXT4NvgVzfJEoaQxMjGyUmLROISNGIir1naBkaBBvTRoRct8J3uUFZeuXMU90agJp_d7VWap627tR9WXsyztviTHn-JvwIN_xZ3-j-MYL9MtNQccZPZq53rxw_UFelNfOEyBqcaNttr0/s1600/DSC00110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMXT4NvgVzfJEoaQxMjGyUmLROISNGIir1naBkaBBvTRoRct8J3uUFZeuXMU90agJp_d7VWap627tR9WXsyztviTHn-JvwIN_xZ3-j-MYL9MtNQccZPZq53rxw_UFelNfOEyBqcaNttr0/s320/DSC00110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My butterfly garden and seating in front of the garden.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaCbfbC0WFglCRMf4kvYFC9lPHOqF7PIa4CT-r1NW_YSlVS8dUgyBnfFqpjXIdSuiPXWMlYEHpAstceiGJcTeMJviDjgjaVEpWtG5vAZ54FAs9QDuRI6CeqOx4i2Q7dacWBSfaqaelpMe/s1600/DSC00115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaCbfbC0WFglCRMf4kvYFC9lPHOqF7PIa4CT-r1NW_YSlVS8dUgyBnfFqpjXIdSuiPXWMlYEHpAstceiGJcTeMJviDjgjaVEpWtG5vAZ54FAs9QDuRI6CeqOx4i2Q7dacWBSfaqaelpMe/s320/DSC00115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0oz5G6nk1axb7JXFBFZGNwPz5k-0G0_xVIkAdiILqV7l7Axb1gA9XmFQengWG_uR5kGwBAwX9I0yhqr2poQNrh40w7kVArp1weNtbfJ9ylTTmRsig3-SuBH41dwEF2cEbh9sIhU09PWN/s1600/DSC00116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0oz5G6nk1axb7JXFBFZGNwPz5k-0G0_xVIkAdiILqV7l7Axb1gA9XmFQengWG_uR5kGwBAwX9I0yhqr2poQNrh40w7kVArp1weNtbfJ9ylTTmRsig3-SuBH41dwEF2cEbh9sIhU09PWN/s320/DSC00116.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Calendar and meeting area with new crate seats!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yhh7Z-pcwo_OP5vEY5oWg0ryRQxt-lnfQ9nHV2CkflvNzc4VRpp2HDNbLsPdbSmqyq-M4zkJ0HfTqNGfUIs36lfQzTnNYUuCw4V7Nmvmj2smI_uD8qK2C1NTSB3vXkmN-B9E9vZPfs2K/s1600/DSC00113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yhh7Z-pcwo_OP5vEY5oWg0ryRQxt-lnfQ9nHV2CkflvNzc4VRpp2HDNbLsPdbSmqyq-M4zkJ0HfTqNGfUIs36lfQzTnNYUuCw4V7Nmvmj2smI_uD8qK2C1NTSB3vXkmN-B9E9vZPfs2K/s320/DSC00113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Monarch of the Week Bulletin Board</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTD7m97_8ZKDzZfcCpZP05hSFuJTP6_GA46MLXiIKsQma-pLVob-KB_5nJzb4kF8-DrsgG5R2JlrN5Uyn3ig34dw-mZ_Ux4xKxKb4oTtIiY-2S5kkvzbMwhXuUi1uf7L6nQYDMpXLK-2Hp/s1600/DSC00114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTD7m97_8ZKDzZfcCpZP05hSFuJTP6_GA46MLXiIKsQma-pLVob-KB_5nJzb4kF8-DrsgG5R2JlrN5Uyn3ig34dw-mZ_Ux4xKxKb4oTtIiY-2S5kkvzbMwhXuUi1uf7L6nQYDMpXLK-2Hp/s320/DSC00114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">CAFE and Daily 5 Board</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOMatCgIaOCoV4iIi39mu3IZlTtjE1lQqPuLziRWohyC4rciuFX9xPYNk5O3-NQNam8uBz2NoJyBFvGkl2-kyVouPeTiHpzf2D1JsnMc6nK_O_VlW6ICqfjA5e8oGNpcOFKMk9O1E2xTH/s1600/DSC00117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOMatCgIaOCoV4iIi39mu3IZlTtjE1lQqPuLziRWohyC4rciuFX9xPYNk5O3-NQNam8uBz2NoJyBFvGkl2-kyVouPeTiHpzf2D1JsnMc6nK_O_VlW6ICqfjA5e8oGNpcOFKMk9O1E2xTH/s320/DSC00117.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Another nook in my library that I'll use for my music learning lab</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjt6TeJINWG7xJNeEpTNqz7xTHmDPhF6pH4w4McK_Pl-RE1fCa4kKRVEd6HO2pRu-xFs5ABazjkVoIdcHgdzl41Y46EVfjt8q8uh_TNE32hT2B2iBHqCmH__bGAZ3H_d_hwLRyx3REoFb/s1600/DSC00120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjt6TeJINWG7xJNeEpTNqz7xTHmDPhF6pH4w4McK_Pl-RE1fCa4kKRVEd6HO2pRu-xFs5ABazjkVoIdcHgdzl41Y46EVfjt8q8uh_TNE32hT2B2iBHqCmH__bGAZ3H_d_hwLRyx3REoFb/s320/DSC00120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Birthday board, book box shelves and learning lab chart.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprA1PXIZRTGG363I8cl5U-pGrPMy_JRv22wBtoIX9EJfcTG-vCDaZGG7dsLVN9Eboux6K1rz0q3E-0f-wZcCknsuK1N2WPsNOhkvuw_lcDfAQrzq85jgNkkcjLCl48uwcTLBX83ORdH0H/s1600/DSC00108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprA1PXIZRTGG363I8cl5U-pGrPMy_JRv22wBtoIX9EJfcTG-vCDaZGG7dsLVN9Eboux6K1rz0q3E-0f-wZcCknsuK1N2WPsNOhkvuw_lcDfAQrzq85jgNkkcjLCl48uwcTLBX83ORdH0H/s320/DSC00108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">Reading table and teacher area. Interesting word boardis in the background.</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">School starts tomorrow. I have no idea where the summer went; but I'm ready to start another fantastic year in second grade!</div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-73877382975855113072011-08-02T22:03:00.000-07:002011-08-02T22:03:27.411-07:00Cute and Organized!Today I finished my Daily 5 book box display. I have always wanted to use book boxes but couldn't justify the expense of magazine file boxes. The cheapest I've seen them was $2.50 each. Times that by 26 kiddos and well, you get the idea. So you can imagine my excitement when I found these cuties in the Target dollar spot. Yay!! I picked up 30 of them and ran back to school eager to put them in their chosen spots. I decided to organize them all in a pattern because it's prettier that way and I love me a pretty display! BUT, you all know what happens as soon as the kiddos get a hold of them. They will be shoved back onto the shelf in any old order. To keep them in their place I labeled the shelf with an identical name tag that's on the book box. Now all the kiddos have to do is find their name and my pretty display will stay all year long!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJz7UVo2w1plErC9PHfrf2UYeCWHXbykGpxYJJ4uS4aaw-WmfmcNEzFJUR7Ln28aqfbq6wKWq-4J9WJYh8cQ1Y74gY0M421qpHHMzibeT1nigY9eVoenPTk6X-1IEZqDzKQXdzgkTqLLnM/s1600/DSC00098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJz7UVo2w1plErC9PHfrf2UYeCWHXbykGpxYJJ4uS4aaw-WmfmcNEzFJUR7Ln28aqfbq6wKWq-4J9WJYh8cQ1Y74gY0M421qpHHMzibeT1nigY9eVoenPTk6X-1IEZqDzKQXdzgkTqLLnM/s320/DSC00098.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-10043207099135469862011-08-01T22:07:00.000-07:002011-08-01T22:08:00.596-07:00Birthday Fun!I figure I would post twice today due to my foreseen absence from the blog world at some point this year. Yesterday I finished my birthday board. I am very proud of this board considering it is 100% MY IDEA! That doesn't happen very often folks. I am queen of stalking other teachers on the Internet and stealing their ideas. Now I do have to put a disclaimer out there. I didn't search FOREVER on this one like I normally do. So there could quite possibly be another birthday board somewhere similar to mine. For now I will claim it as my own (it makes me feel better!) <br />
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Are you ready?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirv5jJNLjYhQjWWnGKGgeX9Kk3sNy1Tsrjc506_Q18_vLpU6QdPXQ4x4TULYYlcvxELOdnsZW0kuQ-Elx2OnpzWFXQ6-8O17-dtXdYPYpzKKIYPE5CjvrUXCid_AcyQTy7TykDyxtNS23t/s1600/DSC00085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirv5jJNLjYhQjWWnGKGgeX9Kk3sNy1Tsrjc506_Q18_vLpU6QdPXQ4x4TULYYlcvxELOdnsZW0kuQ-Elx2OnpzWFXQ6-8O17-dtXdYPYpzKKIYPE5CjvrUXCid_AcyQTy7TykDyxtNS23t/s320/DSC00085.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Once again my camera (and the glare from the shiny bags) don't do the actual product any justice. Basically I used dollar store bags (3 for a dollar at Dollar Tree), curly cue present decorations (4 for a dollar) and sparkly foam letters (Walmart- $5 a bag but I've used these for tons of projects!) on the front of the bags for the months. Then I took some leftover foam bookmarks that I had and made gift bag tags. On the tags (the pics don't show this well) I used small foam letters to put on the names of the birthday kids on each tag. I hot glued the whole mess up and stepped back to admire my work. Please don't tell me if it's not as cute as I think it is!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-41986272702348996032011-08-01T21:49:00.000-07:002011-08-01T21:52:04.284-07:00Busy as a Beaver!!!I love Back to School time! It gives me a chance to start fresh and complete fun projects to cutesy up my room. I told you about the adorable crate seats that I found on Pinterest. Well here is my finished product thanks to the hard work of my mom and husband! Once we had the wood cut these seriously took us 30 minutes to put together.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvFNFKPfrggnnilKLP803nVT11Ku9RJZsOFzbZmc2E2r6uQRhmeUlAy8m9O09QKgLEYdnb7d4iswv4yL2HzUYrIsBCr3jMCuP_4bnt9BB7Mc8UcyMr-vBGYX6iA6uElKStaFonANo5TxJ/s1600/DSC00053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvFNFKPfrggnnilKLP803nVT11Ku9RJZsOFzbZmc2E2r6uQRhmeUlAy8m9O09QKgLEYdnb7d4iswv4yL2HzUYrIsBCr3jMCuP_4bnt9BB7Mc8UcyMr-vBGYX6iA6uElKStaFonANo5TxJ/s320/DSC00053.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW26_w1V91seU77yQ7VlWeq29_cFgs69xHg_Og4ep2gpIEOLOE8IMpuArLLvviT0qj5cmFAqD564PuD7wpZTsKLgyYqYGVBTU6zJohOkKgP5vyFmMzlaZYXDNoIKapqPaXfi2guenPQ1au/s1600/DSC00052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW26_w1V91seU77yQ7VlWeq29_cFgs69xHg_Og4ep2gpIEOLOE8IMpuArLLvviT0qj5cmFAqD564PuD7wpZTsKLgyYqYGVBTU6zJohOkKgP5vyFmMzlaZYXDNoIKapqPaXfi2guenPQ1au/s320/DSC00052.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My camera washed out the colors. The one on the left is pink and green striped and the one on the right is the same fabric only blue and green striped. The butterfly fabric matches my chair pockets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQEOFGtVCorsU7GH43Puyh5NsOHUA-D7HTNQBH1W34VGbbv4feo2x1dpGccJNQUijbltP4W65LSwRuER6o4ov_14Ctc13PQH2Y6yfjWlnV0uFKW5lGLp2fmvQwAALN4qa8Oh8HdH7XeW7/s1600/DSC00054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQEOFGtVCorsU7GH43Puyh5NsOHUA-D7HTNQBH1W34VGbbv4feo2x1dpGccJNQUijbltP4W65LSwRuER6o4ov_14Ctc13PQH2Y6yfjWlnV0uFKW5lGLp2fmvQwAALN4qa8Oh8HdH7XeW7/s320/DSC00054.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love how these turned out and they were super easy! I could see these in a playroom or a child's bedroom. They bonus is they double as storage which I was in dire need of in my classroom! Here's what you need:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Crate- Target has cute colors right now for $3 (it must be the file folder kind with the lip)</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Foam- This can be the expensive part if you're not careful. I used a 50% off coupon at Joann's and paid $15 which was enough for 6.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Plywood- My wood working husband already had this on hand so no cost to me.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fabric- About a half yard per seat.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ribbon- $1.97 at Walmart. One roll for 3 seats.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spray Glue- I think I spent 3 or 4 dollars at Walmart.</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Directions: Measure the plywood and cut so that it will sit inside on the lip. Cut the foam using the same measurements (use an electric knife- so fast!). Spray the glue onto the plywood and place your foam on top. Let this sit to dry for about 30 minutes. Wrap the fabric around the foam covered board, pull tight and staple to the back with a staple gun. We wrapped the corners like we would a present. Once you have the fabric on, measure a piece of ribbon to go around the cushion and staple it into the back. Make sure the ribbon is not too loose, but loose enough to get your hand under it so that you can easily pull the cushion off of the crate when you need to. Voila! That's it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-75591312497984675452011-07-22T19:47:00.000-07:002011-07-22T19:49:37.377-07:00My First DIYToday I was in Walmart for the billionth time in the last few weeks trying to find inexpensive trays for work that kids turn in. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything that was the right dimensions in a price range that I will willing to pay (mind you, much like many other teachers out there right now, I have already dropped at least $300-$500 on my room this summer). So, I began the long walk up to the front of the store when these babies caught my eye....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TDHV8-PNe6VnWn_MnpXmqX_Sfxp9FgXKiYbsvNHD-9OjKfk9-OY_GquORQ9EqTKrMjN1WXd9dofZ_w9i-JjuP5r9kkSdebR4TF17GwYO8nzO8wWdemk3JAIVS8zm2j_hA2JCMC7KYsWB/s1600/DSC00017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TDHV8-PNe6VnWn_MnpXmqX_Sfxp9FgXKiYbsvNHD-9OjKfk9-OY_GquORQ9EqTKrMjN1WXd9dofZ_w9i-JjuP5r9kkSdebR4TF17GwYO8nzO8wWdemk3JAIVS8zm2j_hA2JCMC7KYsWB/s320/DSC00017.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The wheels immediately began turning, and priced at 2 for 95 cents, I decided that I had nothing to lose. I bought four and ran home to raid my collection of fabric, ribbon and stickers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I threw this one together in about 5 minutes. It doesn't seem the most durable, but in my defense I only had one stick left in my glue gun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpY7fpvNGabjyBzWYdTZCqOfvJLoGW1rb0KQvgnq2F2bxayA7YkTbrQj1RQZd4rm_qyGLnU2Y1cNDxw-L-dFNTOQR1b1fYKJAZqNO2ejXRZt9glmIIUN75UgbVuWMmp7ufim1Z2CL6paC/s1600/DSC00018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpY7fpvNGabjyBzWYdTZCqOfvJLoGW1rb0KQvgnq2F2bxayA7YkTbrQj1RQZd4rm_qyGLnU2Y1cNDxw-L-dFNTOQR1b1fYKJAZqNO2ejXRZt9glmIIUN75UgbVuWMmp7ufim1Z2CL6paC/s320/DSC00018.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The options are endless to these and you can use leftover fabric from your bulletin boards to have everything matchy-matchy. I plan on making the four I bought, use two of them now and store the other two until I need them. We'll see how long they hold up! </div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-17861840253986296792011-07-21T22:18:00.000-07:002011-07-21T22:21:17.274-07:00Projects Galore!The other day I told you about my new love affair with Pinterest.com. Well, I now have approximately 25 projects that I'm working on for school, all ideas from Pinterest! I am making these cute little storage seats....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB4GdP-RKGQdF-Nq16V1IIh8paUHllNTduDTHTOGlIvf3RFfl8aJg3PpHZ6eFIW7iiBa_4U9uy1NvBL0uWcj2aHIhcetpjF87qUecZYjBBDZZ9leVYIMQrme20_U-a3KOzh26tSEpiAkP/s1600/storage+crates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB4GdP-RKGQdF-Nq16V1IIh8paUHllNTduDTHTOGlIvf3RFfl8aJg3PpHZ6eFIW7iiBa_4U9uy1NvBL0uWcj2aHIhcetpjF87qUecZYjBBDZZ9leVYIMQrme20_U-a3KOzh26tSEpiAkP/s320/storage+crates.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">These adorable birthday balloons......</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9onGoNFid6-cmLC8YpBPafnLdJ_u__eTo0GAhrb54k88awZ1ZmPEdmZ1X1zzMiCQCkj0tcYorTY6LiokUxObNcs5OdxeiMChAl0p0kknti9a5h3Jb3zjsupQ3MKKfW0g-3rTvCj54-EU/s1600/birthday+balloons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9onGoNFid6-cmLC8YpBPafnLdJ_u__eTo0GAhrb54k88awZ1ZmPEdmZ1X1zzMiCQCkj0tcYorTY6LiokUxObNcs5OdxeiMChAl0p0kknti9a5h3Jb3zjsupQ3MKKfW0g-3rTvCj54-EU/s320/birthday+balloons.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">and, this new behavior chart.....</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJLKy4aCtTjqN4NcYUfc6AYahfzr-HMOQ0cZXCx9Q2N8iHnc0NU5PWSPhVlHRubmefCyJoznwoxLxvhsEc_00ioDbkW9Ov6I3Zjf-KP_SMT2T12LE9t3Y0I-qMNgMS_ocXlCDN13OXYYG/s1600/behavior+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJLKy4aCtTjqN4NcYUfc6AYahfzr-HMOQ0cZXCx9Q2N8iHnc0NU5PWSPhVlHRubmefCyJoznwoxLxvhsEc_00ioDbkW9Ov6I3Zjf-KP_SMT2T12LE9t3Y0I-qMNgMS_ocXlCDN13OXYYG/s320/behavior+chart.jpg" t$="true" width="183" /></a></div><br />
I'm super excited to get all of my little projects done and into my room. Pictures of my room and finished projects will be coming very soon!<br />
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</div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-72449808458867760312011-07-17T22:07:00.000-07:002011-07-17T22:07:51.647-07:00I'm Back!Wow has it been awhile!! I know that I PROMISED to keep the blog up to date...that was in January. <br />
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I love blogging. The problem is that it's "all or nothing" with me. My goal this year is not to take an all or nothing approach and just blog as I see fit. I am super excited about the upcoming school year and all that I am cooking up for the new batch of kiddos. I don't know if any of you have found <a href="http://pinterest.com/">pinterest.com</a> yet, but I have literally spent hours on here finding new ideas for next year. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the new and improved and hopefully continually updated world of Monarch Madness!!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-43791759042799738812011-01-23T20:37:00.000-08:002011-01-23T20:40:42.368-08:00Holy Wackiness!We had a great time on the 100th day of School. The kids showed up in their true form! We love Wacky Tacky Day!<br />
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<div style="width:400px;font:0.7em 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; "><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="400" height="300"><param name="FlashVars" value="galleryid=11981265298_L9JSH"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf"/><embed src="http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf" width="400" height="300" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" FlashVars="galleryid=11981265298_L9JSH"></embed></object><div style="float:left"><a href="http://www.picnik.com/show/id/11981265298_L9JSH/t/picnik-show">"<b>Picnik Show</b>"</a></div><div style="float:right"><a href="http://www.picnik.com" target="_blank">Create a free slideshow with Picnik!</a></div></div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-13732540734806495052011-01-09T19:38:00.000-08:002011-01-09T19:41:10.718-08:00Accelerated Math<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xKZIAr4nJVboMMcSukYkKwAb5ProSKsbj-iJu5L4bYjOZUhv2pz_aVJbGqY_hWE6epGWGU66hGvP-0jnpvvCBiAB_U1Z8ysSQOp7C4RiloBvqi5ZhDAo32-ywzH_ynINqLKuBOBl8v-R/s1600/IMG_0566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xKZIAr4nJVboMMcSukYkKwAb5ProSKsbj-iJu5L4bYjOZUhv2pz_aVJbGqY_hWE6epGWGU66hGvP-0jnpvvCBiAB_U1Z8ysSQOp7C4RiloBvqi5ZhDAo32-ywzH_ynINqLKuBOBl8v-R/s320/IMG_0566.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>Accelerated Math is a program that we use at PDS to supplement our math curriculum. The kids work at their own pace and level to complete a series of practice exercises and tests. They are then graded by the computer via scan card and the computer determines the next series of objectives for each student to work on. The great thing about Accelerated Math is the abundance of reports and useful features for the teacher. I can see immediately who is not understanding certain concepts and I can print out custom support for the students who need it. Meanwhile, the students who understand quickly are able to progress without being help up for reteaching. It is individualized instruction at it's best and a great way to have students practice math skills. I have already started AM with a small group of students, but last week I introduced it to the whole class. The reason that I wait until after Christmas is because it can be a management nightmare. Kids are in all different places, it is reading intensive, and it requires kids to be able to bubble in a scan card and scan it independently. I am anticipating some bumps along the way, but hopefully the program will be running smoothly in no time!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUq4r3_-eHMCl5ezgtbmYclojV37MVdLEzB0ZG53EW8Ms6hHjdirS0KgCyCsUGtjfT7vKPUZqs3ZIxEc5kdtbzbjlvdN5XGoEHL8ZsW-zi6gcAqtH6Jk_3KzcOI9t4B4k1LGt0AWN889o/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUq4r3_-eHMCl5ezgtbmYclojV37MVdLEzB0ZG53EW8Ms6hHjdirS0KgCyCsUGtjfT7vKPUZqs3ZIxEc5kdtbzbjlvdN5XGoEHL8ZsW-zi6gcAqtH6Jk_3KzcOI9t4B4k1LGt0AWN889o/s320/IMG_0563.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-23565528560318663212011-01-03T16:47:00.000-08:002011-01-03T16:47:55.862-08:00Gingerbread Houses!Happy New Year! My New Year's Resolution for school is to update the blog at least once a week. I know that I have said this before, but now it's a resolution so I have to do it ;)<br />
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With that being said, here is a cute slideshow of the kids decorating gingerbread houses before the break.<br />
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<div style="font: 0.7em 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; width: 600px;"><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="450" width="600"><param name="FlashVars" value="galleryid=11599605583_C4dVm"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf"/><embed src="http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf" width="600" height="450" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" FlashVars="galleryid=11599605583_C4dVm"></embed></object><br />
<div style="float: left;"><a href="http://www.picnik.com/show/id/11599605583_C4dVm/t/picnik-show">"<b>Picnik Show</b>"</a></div><div style="float: right;"><a href="http://www.picnik.com/" target="_blank">Create a free slideshow with Picnik!</a></div></div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-55814695274806068072010-11-16T14:27:00.000-08:002010-11-16T14:27:13.007-08:00Blue Ribbon Ceremony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9ZISVqYcdDk3x479M_Ko0XH8U7OlN_vt2BgOpeNEPT_Po5pKkXgxKMY-qwUWfNBtkbWFfbTvpwRk58Qem19RaiUOcQkclQ6APBIbovB3LL5GgjeUvXcMQdpdpJ2et-UcY6xY0bO-Uoh2/s1600/DC+trip+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9ZISVqYcdDk3x479M_Ko0XH8U7OlN_vt2BgOpeNEPT_Po5pKkXgxKMY-qwUWfNBtkbWFfbTvpwRk58Qem19RaiUOcQkclQ6APBIbovB3LL5GgjeUvXcMQdpdpJ2et-UcY6xY0bO-Uoh2/s320/DC+trip+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As most of you know, I am currently in D.C. representing our school at the National Blue Ribbon Schools Ceremony. It has been an extraorinary experience. Today we met in a private meeting with Congress Woman Giffords. It was surreal to sit in her office and discuss politics and education. Yesterday we took a tour of the monuments and spent time at the Smithsonian. I love American history, being a first time visitor of D.C., I am in awe at the historic significance of this area. There is so much to offer here and it would be so fascinating to teach in an area where I could show my students first hand the actual location of the events and American symbols that I am teaching them about in the classroom. We leave tomorrow so I'll be back in the classroom on Thursday. See ya back in AZ!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-2718272801307610602010-11-03T22:33:00.000-07:002010-11-03T22:33:10.907-07:00Sad Day for Education in Sierra VistaI am sure that many of you know by now that the override failed miserably....*sigh*. It's very easy to slip into a dark funk at a time like this. I think for many of us teachers it feels like the community just backhanded us in the face. I know that we are not the only district going through record breaking budget cuts and pay freezes, but after teaching in Sierra Vista for nine years it is quite apparent that the majority of the community does not support public education. I read the comments in the online version of the Herald and it is amazing to me how uneducated the people making them are. I just wish that people would do some research and get their facts straight before commenting publicly. I mean how much more can we reasonably take? We have more kids in our rooms (which will increase again next year with the closing of Village Meadows), less pay (and a possible 5-10% pay cut next year), more expensive benefits, less time to teach with higher demands, no planning time but yet more district meetings that takes our after school "planning" time away, and kids that have an abundance of educational, home life, and behavioral issues. I spoke with at least 7 teachers at PDS (mind you, it's the best school in the district; these are great people) who are now planning on pursuing other career options for next year. *sigh* <br />
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I walked into my classroom feeling defeated. But then, I saw this face.....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFQtoxuzzp5XKuLC7IWhB8CNI5TUirMGH_wXNr8rHSGTDyudYmGhL8zhfJSwI2z0I3Ea5Ri-O6vMN3QYF5WzwYxeArHNotZgrnhOFafb0Ub3E1tX_HXRjqH34CDyt92UPNfOK3nz3Z8JQ/s1600/Classroom+366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFQtoxuzzp5XKuLC7IWhB8CNI5TUirMGH_wXNr8rHSGTDyudYmGhL8zhfJSwI2z0I3Ea5Ri-O6vMN3QYF5WzwYxeArHNotZgrnhOFafb0Ub3E1tX_HXRjqH34CDyt92UPNfOK3nz3Z8JQ/s320/Classroom+366.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
And this one.....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJZvaZ4uUJvqNTgWtVZ0Li1W9ZguC7gIy8K644UtSGCFZV4RG7msVHIJLtArQbsBut8FmlJg7uug33YkVoUGtkhm615jzLKXgkNksRN4b9u_EC3t5fZCbCqCw0lmmwfoRPSKf2uZYikWq/s1600/Classroom+b166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJZvaZ4uUJvqNTgWtVZ0Li1W9ZguC7gIy8K644UtSGCFZV4RG7msVHIJLtArQbsBut8FmlJg7uug33YkVoUGtkhm615jzLKXgkNksRN4b9u_EC3t5fZCbCqCw0lmmwfoRPSKf2uZYikWq/s320/Classroom+b166.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>And these.....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ70YvjEfUvJvvJOyXsrosf5kTUlVH7dC7Uobux5p708wLx5c5p_YnV3TZthk0tHDq-Tk5aIWML0ordo_GkYJPTCqaMnad1lh2GpRjY_iR1K5-UG0gvWCiTase6-GykMBr2Dihj2aBdOAD/s1600/Classroom+193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ70YvjEfUvJvvJOyXsrosf5kTUlVH7dC7Uobux5p708wLx5c5p_YnV3TZthk0tHDq-Tk5aIWML0ordo_GkYJPTCqaMnad1lh2GpRjY_iR1K5-UG0gvWCiTase6-GykMBr2Dihj2aBdOAD/s320/Classroom+193.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
and I realized that these faces are the reason that I can endure all of the rest. These kids need good teachers. If we all leave the profession what's left for them? <br />
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I don't have the answers to the many questions that loom over public education. I know that at times, my job sucks. But it's not the kids who make it that way. It's time to shut the door on negativity and remember why I got into the profession in the first place. To make a difference in the lives of children by instilling in them an intrinsic motivation to learn and be moral human beings. To guide them in discovering their gifts and teach them how to be life long learners. To enjoy them, be silly with them, and love them. <br />
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"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." -- Forest WitchcraftMrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-2809453318202372032010-10-26T21:24:00.000-07:002010-10-26T21:24:01.473-07:00Field Trip Fun!Today we went on our field trip to Apple Annie's. It was fast and furious but it seemed like everyone had a great time! The kids learned about plants, went through the corn maze, and took a hay ride to pick their own pumpkins. I tried to get at least one picture of each kid, but it can be hard to take photos in the midst of dealing with purchase orders, lunches, missing jackets, and making sure all 23 kids have eaten and used the restroom before boarding the bus. All in all, everything went smoothly and we didn't lose any kiddos! :)<br />
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<div style="font: 0.7em 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; width: 400px;"><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="300" width="400"><param name="FlashVars" value="galleryid=10395402029_NLgx8"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf"/><embed src="http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf" width="400" height="300" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" FlashVars="galleryid=10395402029_NLgx8"></embed></object><br />
<div style="float: left;"><a href="http://www.picnik.com/show/id/10395402029_NLgx8/t/picnik-show">"<b>Picnik Show</b>"</a></div><div style="float: right;"><a href="http://www.picnik.com/" target="_blank">Create a free slideshow with Picnik!</a></div></div>Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-53385529966264553402010-10-18T21:42:00.000-07:002010-10-18T21:44:11.054-07:00Just in Time for Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFv_L0bTvLQzftKxrU3N2mXvgxN_ocH2qxCt2tIo3K1_XaGaNzyOFqMyZj-XDMByhfoLiLtcxL_FypT7uHMpeSuhw3IbjmQSxvb9V9bolYg6Og89mOK_8gaac2dzR9PZIdh9UKCN4e4J8M/s1600/featuredmonster2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFv_L0bTvLQzftKxrU3N2mXvgxN_ocH2qxCt2tIo3K1_XaGaNzyOFqMyZj-XDMByhfoLiLtcxL_FypT7uHMpeSuhw3IbjmQSxvb9V9bolYg6Og89mOK_8gaac2dzR9PZIdh9UKCN4e4J8M/s1600/featuredmonster2.jpg" /></a></div>Monsters are beginning to pop up in room 2. We are happy to have partnered up with a wonderful second grade class in Olympia Washington to complete a fun and educational writing project. Here is a description of this project from the Monster Exchange <a href="http://www.monsterexchange.org/index.asp">website</a>.<br />
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Monster Exchange is designed to encourage the development of reading and writing skills while integrating Internet technology into the classroom curriculum. Classrooms from a variety of schools worldwide are paired together; the students in each classroom are split into groups, each of which designs an original picture of a monster. The students must then write a description of the monster. The partnered classes then exchange their descriptions via e-mail and the Internet. These students are then challenged to use reading comprehension skills to read the descriptions and translate them into a monster picture. The true challenge involves creating a redrawn picture as close to the original picture as possible without looking at the original and using only the written description of the monster.<br />
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The written descriptions, original monster pictures, and redrawn monster pictures are scanned and uploaded to the Internet using the browser-based Monster Gallery Builder. <br />
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The kids are really looking forward to exchanging descriptions to see how accurately our friends can draw our monsters. It should be a great learning experience!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-72986638242073335172010-10-18T21:27:00.000-07:002010-10-18T21:27:57.035-07:00Hello Blog World!Okay so it's time for me to stop procrastinating and start blogging again. I have a bad habit of starting great projects and never finishing them...THIS will not be one of them! <br />
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I have decided that I need to get over my perfectionism. I never thought that I was a perfectionist, but as I reflect back on the projects I've let go it makes perfect sense. Basically, I end up quiting when my creativity begin to dwindle. If I can't think of the perfect story, topic, or next step, I end up putting the project on the back burner while I "wait" for the creative juices to flow again. Well sometimes they flow in a whole different direction and I never get back to many great projects that just need to be completed.<br />
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So, I have decided that I need to stop over thinking this blog. Things that seem everyday and mundane in the classroom to me could possibly be things that you want to hear about. It's time for me to get back to why I originally started this blog....to give you a glimpse into the world of second graders. Some days it may be exciting and creative and other days it may be simple and routine. Either way, I am back to blogging and excited to share with you what's happening in our little world!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-2317467636346558232010-09-28T20:53:00.000-07:002010-09-28T20:53:45.236-07:00Secretary Needed!!Have you ever had one of those weeks where you wished you had a secretary? <br />
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My life at home has been on the hectic side lately. First we passed around a nasty little bug which put each one of us out of commission for a day or two. Then we found out our AC was leaking into both of the kid's bedrooms. Between getting everyone healthy and dealing with the clean up and AC people, I feel like I'm being buried under a mound of paperwork and to do lists that I have put off at school. Luckily I have an understanding husband who let me stay at school until 6 tonight so that I could try and catch up. But really, I think teachers should have secretaries. Any takers? :)Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988404491241825411.post-67653807970390433362010-09-22T21:42:00.000-07:002010-09-22T21:42:56.181-07:00Snack Time!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2Wn4Tg8-E7IKqZU3o4mPKbOFibKSubY9eMHVS8_io_Gr7B3WY12BgLIeFf6Dcdh6qPVkJMBQA5DdsG-6gqO7Y17w8jqdJAtZh3t1gKOpcFRHdnEJ731MQFQ7-7y9fudNaqHny7DqCU1p/s1600/616730_goldfish_cracker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2Wn4Tg8-E7IKqZU3o4mPKbOFibKSubY9eMHVS8_io_Gr7B3WY12BgLIeFf6Dcdh6qPVkJMBQA5DdsG-6gqO7Y17w8jqdJAtZh3t1gKOpcFRHdnEJ731MQFQ7-7y9fudNaqHny7DqCU1p/s320/616730_goldfish_cracker.jpg" /></a></div>I used to loath snack time. I tried it one year. What I saw was scary. <br />
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My idea was to have kids bring a quick, healthy snack to eat while they are working independently on writing or some other activity. What I got instead were 24 kids unwrapping Ding Dongs and Twinkies, smearing their cheesy little Doritos hands all over their papers, and a line a mile long of kiddos needing me to open something. Plus, little crumbs of chocolate cupcakes and the remains of Goldfish crackers were repeatedly ground into my carpet. Not pretty. Definitely not how I envisioned it in my head. <br />
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That was when I banned snacks in my room. It was a blessing that lasted many years. But then, I was handed a new schedule that put lunchtime at 11:45. <br />
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If you know kids at all you will understand that going from 8-11:45 without a break is almost impossible. Their little minds begin to fade away and their bodies get a case of the wiggles. So, I decided to put snack back into the day along with a 15 minute recess. <br />
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But, I've learned. Now I have a class snack. My parents donate boxes of cereal, bags of pretzels, goldfish crackers, animal cookies and any other bulk snack items that they can think of. On the way out the door I give each kid a handful. If they don't like that particular snack then they simply say no thank you. This is not a buffet; you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. <br />
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The best part is that it literally takes 2 minutes to pass out and if they drop any it falls onto the sidewalk; no more little fishy parts being ground into the carpet....yay!!!Mrs. McComishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09437348442873102200noreply@blogger.com0